Medicare 2026

Medicare Initial Enrollment Period basics for Tucson

# Aging into Medicare: the enrollment window you don't want to…

TUCSON, Ariz. — If a 65th birthday is on your calendar, so is one of the most important deadlines of your adult life. Medicare gives most people a seven-month window — called the Initial Enrollment Period, or IEP — to sign up without penalties or gaps. Miss it, and you could pay higher premiums for the rest of your life.

The good news: once you understand how the window works, the first steps are pretty simple.

What the Initial Enrollment Period actually is

The IEP is a seven-month window built around your 65th birthday. It includes the three months before your birthday month, your birthday month, and the three months after. For most people in Tucson, this is the first — and cleanest — chance to enroll in Medicare Parts A and B.

If your birthday falls on the first of the month, Medicare treats you as eligible the month before. Everyone else becomes eligible the first day of their birthday month.

Enrolling in the first three months of your IEP is the smart move if you want coverage to begin the moment you turn 65. Wait until your birthday month or later, and your coverage start date gets pushed back.

Are you enrolled automatically, or do you need to sign up?

It depends on whether you're already receiving Social Security or Railroad Retirement benefits.

• Already collecting Social Security? You'll usually be enrolled in Parts A and B automatically. Your red, white and blue Medicare card should arrive in the mail about three months before your 65th birthday.
• Not yet collecting Social Security? You need to sign up yourself. You can do this online at ssa.gov, by calling Social Security, or by visiting a local office.

Even if you plan to keep working past 65, don't assume enrollment happens on its own. Check your status early.

The first decisions to make

Once you're enrolled in Original Medicare (Parts A and B), you have some choices to consider:

1. Stay with Original Medicare and possibly add a stand-alone Part D drug plan and, if you want, a Medigap (Medicare Supplement) policy. 2. Choose a Medicare Advantage plan (Part C), which bundles Parts A, B and usually D into one plan offered by a private insurer.

Tucson is in Pima County, where residents can choose from a broad selection of Medicare Advantage and Part D plans. The number and mix of plans change each year, so it pays to compare using the official Plan Finder at medicare.gov.

A few program facts worth knowing as you decide:

• Part D has a new $2,100 out-of-pocket cap for covered drugs.
• The Part D deductible can be up to $615, depending on the plan.
• The old "donut hole" is gone — Part D now has three simpler phases.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs across the calendar year in monthly installments.
• IRMAA surcharges (higher Part B and Part D premiums for higher earners) kick in above $109,000 in income for single filers in 2026.

Still working at 65? Read this carefully

If you or your spouse is still working and you have health coverage through that job, you may be able to delay Part B without penalty. But the rules depend on the size of the employer and the type of coverage. Retiree coverage, COBRA and Marketplace plans do not count as active employer coverage for this purpose.

Before you delay, call Social Security or your local State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). In Arizona, SHIP counseling is free, unbiased and available to Tucson residents. Guessing wrong here is one of the most common — and most expensive — Medicare mistakes.

What happens if you miss the window

If you skip your IEP and don't qualify for a Special Enrollment Period (for example, losing job-based coverage), you may have to wait for the General Enrollment Period (January 1 – March 31) to sign up for Part B, with coverage starting the following month.

You may also owe a late-enrollment penalty:

• Part B penalty: typically 10% added to your premium for each full 12 months you were eligible but didn't enroll — for as long as you have Part B.
• Part D penalty: roughly 1% of the national base premium per month you went without creditable drug coverage — also for as long as you have Part D.

These penalties are usually permanent, which is why the IEP matters so much.

A simple first-steps checklist for Tucson readers

• Mark your seven-month IEP on the calendar.
• Check whether you'll be enrolled automatically or need to apply through Social Security.
• If you're still working, confirm in writing whether your employer plan is "creditable" coverage.
• Make a list of your doctors, hospitals and prescriptions before you compare plans.
• Use medicare.gov's Plan Finder to see what's offered in Pima County.
• Call your local SHIP for free, one-on-one help.